Bring Him Home
by sopranostar88
Summary: Sophomore clarinet Joelle thrives on drama within band, but can she handle choir drama as well? Teacher/student pairing. Rated T for language and theme. My first attempt, will be edited as more is added
1. Chapter 1

Part One: Noon, 10 September, Sophomore Year

Joelle glared at Julie with her large, blue eyes. She was a BAND nerd, what the hell was Julie doing dragging her into the choir room on her lunch break? Didn't Julie know that sophomores didn't just become first chair clarinets – they had to practice daily to keep up with the ever-changing demands of their director, the perfectionist Mr. O'Connell. Joelle looked longingly at the newest piece, "A Blues Brothers Review". There were some trills in between the second and third key changes she had been dying to practice since the piece was handed out at that morning's rehearsal. Being a baritone sax, Julie just didn't understand.

"Just for a few minutes Jo… you won't regret it, I promise!" Julie grabbed Joelle's pale hand and pulled her towards the band room door, barely giving Joelle time to set down her precious Yamaha clarinet. Joelle gently placed her clarinet on its custom-made wooden stand - a gift from her father for her excellent grades in freshman year - as Julie continued to pull her towards the band room door. "Come meet Mr. Schott! He is AMAZING!"

Joelle rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time that day. While at school, she was not usually one to care about choir, or singing, or anything other than her clarinet. She would sing in the shower, yes, and in her church choir, but never at school - she was much too self-conscious for that. The two girls walked briskly from the band room down the hall and around the corner, to the much smaller, yet equally dark and dreary choir room. Joelle pulled her hand back from Julie's tight grasp and adjusted her red and black plaid skirt. She was proud of the look she had chosen for herself that day – Catholic school girl meets band nerd – complete with a slim red silk tie, white knee highs with little red bows, and white cotton blouse that pulled ever so slightly across her rather large bosom. Joelle had gained a few pounds since band camp two weeks prior, and her already tight clothing was fitting that much tighter thanks to her time off.

The girls could hear muffled singing from the room, a lone tenor voice that struck Joelle as powerful yet reserved, even nervous. Julie knocked on the choir room door, but didn't wait for a response before turning the handle and pushing the door open just enough to stick her head through. The last few bars of 'Bring Him Home' resonated through the door frame and into the noisy hallway. Joelle closed her eyes and listened closely – the voice was breathtaking._ She was right, he is amazing…_ Thought Joelle to herself. _Don't make it stop Jewls, please…_

"Mr. S? Can I introduce you to someone?" Julie asked from just outside of the room, without entering it – she didn't want to be rude if Mr. Schott was in the middle of something important.

Immediately the chords stopped, bringing Joelle back to reality. Her eyes snapped open and she remembered where she was – had it really been only a few seconds they had stood there listening to that magical voice?

"No, Julie, come on in. Who's your friend?" Mr. Schott asked, barely looking up from the many scores sitting on the three separate music stands sitting in front of the older keyboard he was playing. Mr. Schott was barely visible from the doorway, hiding behind his scores and music books. It was where he was comfortable; safely hidden from the peering eyes of his students and the other staff members.

Julie pushed the door open all the way, and, grabbing Joelle's hand, walked into the room. Joelle hated that Julie kept holding her hand to go everywhere, but kept her mouth shut as Julie was a year older than she, and as the only baritone sax in their small band, she usually got her way when it came to just about everything. Joelle respected Julie greatly; in fact, she looked up to her the way one looks up to an older sibling. As an only child, Joelle relished in the fact that she now had a whole band full of "siblings", especially Julie.

Julie stopped near the centre of the small room and pulled Joelle beside her. Letting go of her hand, Joelle nervously played with her tie, staring at the toes of her bright red Mary Janes. Everyone knew Joelle was shy, especially with authority figures, unless she had her clarinet in her hand.

"Mr. Schott, this is Joelle, our newest, and youngest, first chair clarinet. Jo, this is Bill Schott, the vocal music teacher and choir director I was telling you about." Julie announced, stepping backwards slightly to let Joelle know it was her turn to speak.

Joelle slowly looked around the room as a shiver ran up her spine. The room was musty, dark and unfamiliar. They were in the basement of their hundred-year old school, and clearly this room had been neglected by the school board for some time, as water stains marked the ceiling tiles and orange shag carpet. Three separate keyboards were scattered around the room, each surrounded by two or three music stands containing various scores from popular musicals or top 40 hits. Black boards covered two of the walls, all with different chord progressions or vocal warm-ups written in a slanted, small handwriting. Posters from "Les Miserables" and "Wicked" covered the wall behind a messy desk, piled high with sheet music, binders and marked essays, waiting to be handed back to their owners. A finely made suit jacket hung on an open drawer of a filing cabinet behind the desk, next to a small window. An old-fashioned metronome caught Joelle's attention as it sat perched on top of the filing cabinet, no doubt used to keep tempo during vocal rehearsal.

Finally, Joelle focused on the centre of the room, where a thin man slouched over one of the keyboards, wearing a pale yellow dress shirt with a red and gold striped silk tie, and dark grey suit pants that matched the jacket hanging behind the desk. He couldn't have been more than 25, thought Joelle, and his golden brown curly hair made him look younger.

Mr. Schott looked up again, this time, gazing into Joelle`s pale face and soft, blue eyes. She seemed young and innocent as she stood there in the centre of the room; too young to be a sophomore, surely; or perhaps she was just timid, like him, and was in self-preservation mode. And God, that skirt, just short enough to be tempting, leaving the most interesting parts up to the imagination, paired with that too-tight white (and almost see-through!) blouse. He cleared his throat and stood up, shifting his gaze back to his music and haphazardly adjusting some of the scores on the stand closest to the keyboard, trying to seem like he was too busy to interact with the girl now standing just feet from his favourite teaching spot.

Joelle tried to catch his gaze again and again, walking closer to the ancient Casio keyboard. As he stood, Joelle realized just how wrong her first impression of Mr. Schott was – he was taller than she expected him to be; at least 6'2. He was slender but muscular, and looked somewhat athletic. His eyes were the colour of honey and dazzled in the sunlight shining in through the small window, and his hair fell in just a way that made him look more like a jock than a music geek. His crisp clothing screamed the fact that he cared for himself and how he looked; to him, appearance was everything. Joelle glanced quickly around the room for any sign of a wife or even a girlfriend, but he wore no wedding band and possessed no personal effects within the room, other than his suit jacket. Again, Joelle tried to catch his gaze, yet he seemed to be looking anywhere but her face. She watched him curiously as he continued to rearrange the music on his stand.

"Hi, Mr. Schott – Julie has tried to get me to join choir a few times, but I am a band girl, through and through, and…"

"You must be fairly talented to be first chair clarinet in sophomore year," Mr. Schott said quietly, finally looking up. "And, from my understanding, you are also on the high honour roll in the AP program. Very impressive."

_How the hell does he know that I am in AP? And how the hell does he know about my grades? _Thought Joelle as she stared into his eyes. She could feel her eyebrow raising slightly, giving her a quizzical look.

"Don't worry, Miss Borton, your legacy already lives within these school walls. Mr. O'Connell has been kind enough to tell me about a few of his most promising students, and he had very kind words when speaking of you." Mr. Schott grinned a goofy, boyish smile, as the quizzical look Joelle held turned into a look of triumph. "But, do you sing?"

Joelle's eyes immediately returned to the floor as her look of trimph turned into a frown. While she was actively involved in her church's choir, she was extremely shy when it came to her voice, and felt her musical talent was much better suited to instrumental music rather than vocal. Joelle could feel herself backing up slightly as she looked for a way to escape.

"Jo has a GREAT voice, Mr. Schott! You should hear her! She's a soprano in the choir at St. Mark's and is always singing her clarinet parts!" Julie piped up from the back of the room, where she sat smiling. She loved making Joelle come down off her high horse – after all, first chair clarinet or not, she was still only a sophomore and didn't deserve to rule the world; not until Julie graduated, anyways.

"Thank you, Miss Ellis, that's enough," snapped Mr. Schott, his attention not leaving the timid girl who stood closest to him. "Do you mind giving Miss Borton and I a chance to discuss our school's vocal music program alone?" He paused briefly, his face relaxing. "Please," he added softly.

"Yes Sir, Mr. Schott!" Julie stood and snapped to attention at once, which made Joelle giggle slightly and eased the tension in the room. For once, Joelle was truly grateful that Julie had a good sense of humour.

"This isn't marching band Jewls. But, see you after classes." Joelle sent a quick look over her shoulder as Julie backed away, a look filled with disdain and yet thanks.

Julie exited the room quickly, making sure she closed the door tightly behind her. She knew that look in Joelle's eye – she'd seen it countless times before. Mr. Schott was about to get blown away.


	2. Chapter 2

Part Two – 3:30 pm, 10 September, Sophomore Year

Once again, Joelle returned to her precious clarinet in the band room. Slowly, she removed the carefully packaged instrument from its case, sliding a Van Doren reed into her mouth to moisten it before she began her practice. Joelle took great care in checking for any loose screws or pads as she assembled her instrument, gently removing the ligature from her mouthpiece before applying the reed. As she replaced the ligature, she tightened the screws one turn at a time, first the top screw, then the bottom, until each screw was perfectly aligned and with enough resistance to give her the desired tone. She gently caressed the keys as she blew lightly into her horn, playing a simple C scale. Unhappy with the way one of the bottom keys was behaving, she replaced the clarinet on its stand before reaching into her case and pulling out a small gold screwdriver. She now considered herself an expert on her instrument and its basic repairs, having played her clarinet a minimum of two hours a day, every day, for the last year. She turned the small screwdriver, adjusted the pad, and gently placed the screwdriver in the edge of her stand with her perfectly manicured nails. Picking up her instrument, she took a few deep breaths, calming herself to resume playing.

As Joelle returned to her warm-up scales, the door to the band room burst open with a loud bang, sending sheet music flying from some of the stands closest to the door.

"TELL ME EVERYTHING!" shouted Julie as she bounded through the door, bag of Skittles in one hand and bottle of Pepsi in the other. "Did you sing for him? Did he think you were good? Isn't he AMAZING!" Julie plunked down beside Joelle in the clarinet section and turned to face her, eager to hear all the juicy details. There was no gossip better than band drama.

Joelle rolled her eyes but continued to play. Julie always had a way of interrupting her most precious practice time, just before the rest of the band arrived for their 4pm practice, and she was almost ALWAYS on a sugar high before their evening band rehearsals. Despite the fact that she played bari sax, Joelle thought that Julie's personality dictated she play the trumpet, although Joelle also felt the band already had more than their fair share of cocky, sugar-high trumpet players strutting around, banging each other in the uniform and practice rooms.

Joelle finished the F scale she was playing with the chromatic intervals they had been taught by Mr. O'Connell, not taking her eyes off of her music stand, even though her scale sheet was nowhere to be seen - she had memorized her scales as soon as she got her clarinet, in the first week of her freshman year. Slowly, she returned her clarinet to its stand yet again and turned to face her friend.

Joelle hadn't realized how much weight Julie had lost that summer, until she sat staring into the eyes of her best friend. Julie was not the prettiest girl in band, nor was she the most fashionable, but it was her carefree and optimistic attitude that made Julie one of Joelle's favourite people – Julie sat now in an old band t-shirt and faded jeans, obviously a few sizes too big for her now-slimmed body. A touch of lip gloss and some clear mascara (a trick Julie had learned from the first chair trombone) made a substantial difference on her olive skin, and her hair, despite its current flyaway state, framed her rounded face neatly as she sat back, waiting to be regaled with all the details of the previous lunch period.

"There's not much to tell…" stated Joelle blankly, staring at her hands. "I mean, we talked about the church choir for a bit, and what kinds of songs I sang there, and he told me about choir here and the different opportunities for singers here… and then I sang…"

"YOU SANG FOR HIM?" Interjected Julie, almost yelling. "What did you sing?"

"SHHH!" Joelle touched her finger to her lips, glancing around the room to make sure no one else was listening in. A few of the more eager band members were starting to arrive for their practice, but no one paid any attention to the two girls in the middle row of the clarinet section. "Just a few verses from 'I Dreamed a Dream'. Nothing fancy or anything, just enough that he could get a feel for my voice and..."

"Good choice! That's his favourite musical! Way to get brownie points!" Julie beamed at her friend, who was still glancing at the floor and finding things to fiddle with instead of looking at her.

"It was… well, he told me that he'd be happy to have me in choir. But, with all the band and everything I don't think I…"

"You're going to find time to join choir, aren't you?"

"I never said…"

"Admit it. He is the hottest teacher in this school, AND he is impressed by you enough to give you a spot in choir without a formal audition, AND you like him. You are joining choir…" Julie leaned back and crossed her arms across her chest. She knew she was right.

"Jewls, just because YOU are involved in every single music group, club and ensemble this school has to offer, doesn't mean I have to be. I mean its choir! Everyone in this school knows me as the sophomore first chair clarinet! Do I really want to tarnish my reputation and delay my plans for ultimate band, and world, domination just because some guy wants me to join a choir?"

"Not just any guy… Mr. Schott…"

"What does that have to do with anything?" asked Joelle, her eyebrow rising to give her the infamous puzzled look she wore so well.

"He's hot, and you like him. So just give in and tell him you'll sing with us."

Joelle sighed. "Fine. I will see you in practice tomorrow morning. But not a WORD of this to anyone else in band!"

Julie stood up and gave her friend a light hug before walking away, smirking. She loved being right almost as much as she loved toying with her uptight friend. After all, 90% of the female student body at BCI had a huge crush on Mr. Schott – what made Joelle any different?


	3. Chapter 3

Part Three – 7:30 am, 11 September, sophomore year

Kathryn yawned and stretched her arms out, trying hard not to hit anyone else as she sat on the floor in the music hallway before rehearsal. Julie lay on the dusty school floor, using her music bag as a pillow and a light jacket she kept in her music locker as a blanket, enjoying a catnap. Joelle sat delicately, her legs tucked neatly beside her, ankles crossed, next to Julie's head; her earphones were plugged into a metronome, her band folder open to one of the medleys that seemed to be the theme of this year's band performance on the floor in front of her. She fingered her clarinet part on a pencil, humming her parts an octave lower than she would normally play them, but still with perfect pitch. Around them, a few other choir members chatted quietly or finished homework, none of them too excited to be there so early in the morning. Morning rehearsals were commonly hated by many BCI music students, except for the most eager (such as Joelle); this morning was no exception.

Kathryn looked at her watch. "It's 7:32. Where the HELL is he? He is already late, we're going to lose all of our warm-up time! And I am NOT singing 'Seasons of Love' without a full and proper warm up!" Kathryn glanced at her watch again, and started drumming her long nails against the tile floor.

"Relax, Kat, he'll be here. He always is…" Brad, a small, mousy boy with a goth look to him, said gently. He touched his leather collar absentmindedly as he went back to working on his history paper. "Is the proper use of the word effect, 'He can effect the outcome of history?' or am I confusing it with the word affect?" Brad scratched a word out in his essay and looked up.

"That would be affect, Mr. Campbell. Glad to see you paid attention in your English classes… remind me again how you made it to the twelfth grade?" Mr. Schott walked briskly down the hall, smiling with a boyish grin as he carried two large boxes, stacked on top of a stack of new music for his choir to learn. "And sorry I am late, guys, but I come bearing food, so can you please forgive me?"

At mention of the word 'food', Julie's eyes snapped open; food was the easiest way to catch his choir's waning attention before early morning practices. Sure, donuts weren't the most nutritious food, but at least it woke them up enough that they could focus for their hour long rehearsal before classes started.

Mr. Schott unlocked the door to the vocal music room and waited for his students to file in. Once everyone was seated in the two dozen or so chairs placed in front of his teaching keyboard, he set the donuts down and gave them a few minutes to chow down before asking them to focus. As he walked across his small classroom, he glanced into the hallway and noticed Joelle, still sitting on the floor with her metronome, practicing her fingerings on her pen.

"Miss Borton, care to join us?" Mr. Schott called across the hallway from the door frame. Had she not noticed him walk in? She seemed to be ignoring him, in any case, as she continued to read through her clarinet music and play through her music at what seemed like an incredibly quick pace. Mr. Schott glanced back into his classroom, with the 15 students that had found their way into the choir room still munching happily on their morning feast. Leaving the door open, Mr. Schott walked back down the hall, approaching his focused student.

"Um, Joelle? Good morning!" he said as he was standing beside her, loudly, but trying not to sound irritated. Still nothing. He crouched down, and lightly touched Joelle on the upper arm.

"WHAT THE FUCK!" shouted Joelle, jumping visibly, despite the fact that she was sitting. She pulled her earphones out of her ears and looked over at the man beside her "Oh, hey Mr. Schott. Uhhhh, sorry about that… I was, um…"

"You were practicing. I get it, musicians need to focus. But, would you care to join us for rehearsal? I am assuming that's why you're here so early this morning…" Mr. Schott shot a handsome smile towards Joelle, but it was missed by Joelle as she started collecting her papers and metronome and threw them haphazardly into her music bag. "I brought donuts, if you're hungry," he added sheepishly as his gaze returned to the floor.

"Oh, thanks Mr. Schott, I will be right there," Joelle stopped collecting her things for a moment and looked up, just as he did. She made eye contact with her choir director and turned on the charm. "I really am sorry about that. I didn't mean to swear at you. I was just startled."

"You are forgiven, but please hurry as we need to get started." He flashed her another dazzling smile and squeezed her arm lightly before letting go. As he stood, he offered Joelle his hand to help her get up. Once again, she was wearing a skirt that was just a little too short to be appropriate for a school setting, set in a rich chocolate brown with pleats in the front, and her lace-trimmed camisole peeked out slightly from under a short pink tweed blazer. Joelle accepted his offering for help up, and as she gripped his masculine hand, flashed him a rather large smile of her own. Both smiled and Joelle let out a slight giggle as she batted her eyelashes lightly.

As they gazed into each other's eyes, Julie popped her head out of the vocal room door and called down the hall, "Mr. Schott, are you coming? I think Kat's about to have a heart attack with the lateness of rehearsal and everything, so… oh…" Julie stopped mid-sentence. "I, um… I just…"

Mr. Schott's head snapped towards the vocal room, and Joelle sheepishly looked at the ground as she went back to collecting her items. "We're coming, Ms. Ellis!" Neither Mr. Schott nor Joelle looked at one another as they walked towards the vocal room, silently, both slightly embarrassed that their tender moment had been witnessed by another student.

As both Mr. Schott and Joelle settled into the rehearsal, they did their best to avoid each other's gaze, yet took turns staring at one another. No further exchanges occurred between them, as Joelle was shy to speak up for herself or submit any ideas when it came to the choir. After all, choir was different from band, and she felt like she was starting over again; welcome to third chair soprano.

_Wait, do choirs use the chair system? _Joelle thought to herself. _Mental note: use Wikipedia to find out choir formation during lunch._

As they shifted from song to song, Mr. Schott became more and more convinced about the sophomore's talent; she really could sing, and even rivalled Kathryn for some of the top soprano solos. She had a natural vibrato and seemed to catch onto lyrics and melodies quickly. And was it just him, or did she seem to be flirting with him? Did he imagine her batting her eyelashes or flashing her million-watt smile just then? Mr. Schott returned to focus on his choir and his music, pushing her to the back of his mind. He was, after all, at home, sitting behind his old Casio.


	4. Chapter 4

Part Four – 3:30 pm, 30 October, Sophomore year

Joelle sat in her favourite chair in the band room, in the middle row of the band, right on the end, as far away from the screeching alto saxes and the airhead flutes as she could possibly be. She glanced around the empty band room as she assembled her instrument – she was the only person in the room, and liked it that way. Julie would be on her way to the cafeteria for her sugar fix, the first and second chair trumpets would be in the uniform room having sex, and most of the other AP students would be in study hall or the library getting ready for midterms, as they were only a week away. Joelle sat silently, pondering. She had joined choir, and despite her tough exterior, was actually enjoying it. Mr. Schott made it a lot of fun, even in the morning; and at least twice a month he brought goodies for those who showed up on time. Joelle had even convinced her mother to pay for some extra music lessons for her from Mr. Schott – every Thursday evening at 7:30pm, Mr. Schott arrived at the Borton residence with his arms filled with music books and scores from which she sang – he played for her on her crappy little Casio keyboard in the living room. After each lesson Joelle invited him into the kitchen for a drink and chat, which sometimes lasting hours into the evening and made getting up for band rehearsal the next morning quite difficult. But, to Joelle, it was worth it to spend time with her new favourite teacher.

Joelle set her assembled clarinet on its stand gently and pulled out her choral music folder from the messenger bag she kept on the back of her chair. Joelle never went anywhere without her music books - the vocal book was smaller than her band folders, and was easy to pull out as she sat on the bus or in the car on her way to and from school. Opening it carefully, she looked at the piece on top; 'River Deep, Mountain High'. It was a classic piece and Joelle smiled to herself as she remember their last vocal rehearsal; she and Kathryn had done the solo as a duet and had even harmonized it. Her confidence for vocal music was soaring; she was actually looking forward to the winter recital.

_What are you doing, Jo? Clarinet has to come first; that's the promise you made youself. Forget about choir and focus!_

Joelle sat back in her chair, her dreams turning absent-mindedly to her last private vocal lesson. Mr. Schott had been thoroughly impressed with her rendition of 'Funny Girl' - and Joelle had loved singing the powerful ballad made famous by one of her idols, Barbara. She began humming to herself as she closed her eyes and pictured herself standing in front of a massive audience, with Mr. Schott to her left, behind a shiny black grand piano. All eyes were on her, and she wasn't even scared, despite the fact that she didn't have her clarinet in sight!

_My clarinet... _thought Joelle to herself. _I should really be warming up... Mr. O'Connell will be here any minute._

Joelle stirred as she made to put her vocal folder away, when a single piece of sheet music slid out and onto the floor. Grabbing it quickly, she peered at the title; 'Bring him Home'. This was one of Mr. Schott's favourite songs; she'd heard him sing brief passages from it on a couple of different occasions.

_Since when do I have a copy of this?_ Joelle thought to herself, flipping through her folder to see if she could find the rest of the piece her instructor adored. She could almost see her instructor sitting at his Casio, singing softly as the song progressed. At the back of her folder she found it; a photocopied version of the song she was looking for, with a handwritten note on the first page.

_This is one of my favourite songs,  
__I hope you find it as enchanting as I do.  
Please don't share this with the other choir members;  
our little secret._

_Mr. S_

Joelle starred at the note, as she carefully set the copied song out across her stand. Lifting the note off of the first she, she began humming through the song lightly as her memory took her back to the first day Julie had introduced them. She closed her eyes and imagined him singing it again. She could almost hear his soft voice hitting the final note - a high F - as she swayed in time with the imaginary music.

The band door banged open and Joelle's eyes snapped open - those damn third chairs always seemed to interrupt her best daydreams. Joelle quickly grabbed the piece now sitting on her stand and set it in the front of her folder. She slammed her choral book closed and returned it to her music bag without another thought - she knew it was time to focus on band. She carefully picked up her clarinet and held it to her lips, playing another quick Bb scale to warm up. Band rehearsal was going to take all of her attention as her thoughts kept wander back to herself on stage under the warm glow of the spotlights. She had a new music dream... one that wouldn't leave her alone.


	5. Chapter 5

Part five - 6:30pm, 30 October, Sophomore Year

At precisely 6:30 each Thursday evening, Joelle would begin her beauty routine, with the sole purpose of impressing her vocal teacher with both her vocal abilities and her dazzling looks. Each week, as she got more and more confident with her singing, she began to take bigger risks – this week she was really pulling out all the stops in wearing a short, grey mini skirt with a tight tank top that resembled the corsets she had seen in pictures on the internet, and wanted to request that they work on 'Bring Him Home' – after all, there must be a reason he had slipped it into her choral folder. Of course, if her mother saw her, she'd have to make sure she had a sweater close by to throw over her shoulders – Joelle's mother did not approve of her daughter's scant clothing and 'hoochie-momma' attitude.

_Mascara... Check! Eye shadow... Check! Lip Gloss... Check! _Joelle made a mental checklist as she peered at herself in the full length wall next to her closet. _Tonight's the night..._

At 7:30 drew near, Joelle would ascend the spiral staircase from the basement, where her bedroom and study were, to the communal living room in preparation for her lesson. Over the weeks, Joelle had developed some vocal favourites and had asked for copies of some of the pieces so she could practice in between her lessons. She tucked her thick 'private lessons only' music folder under her arm as she climbed up the stairs, performing a light vocal warm up with each step.

Joelle glanced at the clock. _7:28… just enough time to check my lip gloss before he gets here._

At precisely 7:30, the doorbell rang. Joelle hated that doorbell chime – it was precisely a quartertone flat of any recognized note and was painful to her carefully tuned ears. She ran to the door as fast as she could, hoping that her instructor would spare her the pain of ringing the bell again. He was looking dashing, as he always did, wearing a black leather jacket over his lilac dress shirt and black dress pants, with a rich purple tie. His gold cufflinks reflected the light under the sleeves of his jacket, and he was carrying a stack of sheet music 8 inches thick for Joelle to choose a few new pieces from.

"Hi Bill," gushed Joelle as she answered the door, flirting heavily. She batted her eyelashes as she flashed him a large smile. "You're right on time, as usual. What new pieces have you got for me tonight?"

"Bill… that's a new one. What happened to you calling me Mr. Schott like the rest of the BCI student body?" He smiled right back, running his hand through his recently-cut hair.

"I just figured that since we're not in school, I could call you by your first name…" Joelle smiled again, extending her hand to take his coat. "Is that ok?"

"It's fine, just please call me Mr. Schott at school. I don't want the other kids getting any ideas." He touched her arm gently. "Let's get down to work, shall we?"

Throughout the lesson, Bill and Joelle continued to flirt ever so slightly, but not enough to interrupt the great work that was occurring. Joelle loved signing with Bill, and specifically chose male-female duets as often as possible to work on – an instant favourite was 'Endless Love'. After a little over an hour of singing and instruction, and at the end of a particularly fabulous rendition of 'Defying Gravity', Bill stopped Joelle.

"That last note was, like, bang on. I think we should end there – you've made a lot of progress, especially in your upper range. Next week I think we should try a little bit of Christine from Phantom, what do you think?"

"Ooohhh, that sounds wonderful!" exclaimed Joelle, moving to sit down next to Bill on the piano bench next to the keyboard. She still hadn't mentioned the piece she had found earlier that day. "But, I thought maybe we could work on this for a minute first?" Joelle reached into the thick pile of music by the piano, looking for the piece she had noted with a purple sticky-note. As she retrieved the piece, she carefully spread it across the music stand in front of the piano, making sure each note could be clearly seen. The note that once covered much of the first page had been removed and now hung on the bullitin board over her desk; she didn't want to risk it getting lost.

"So you found it?" He turned, beaming. "I was wondering how long it would take you..."

"When did you add it?" Joelle gazed longingly into his eyes. "I mean, I usually carry it with me, so I don't know how you..."

"Remember that afternoon last week I asked to borrow your folder to photocopy a couple of the pieces for Mr. Jones?" He continued beaming as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Well, I added it then. I can't believe it took you over a week to find it; I mean, I figured we'd have had this conversation a week ago."

"Why?" Joelle asked softly, peering down at the keys on the keyboard. She sometimes wished she could play piano the way he could.

"Because that piece is special to me, and if you remember..."

"It was the piece you were practicing the first time we met," interjected Joelle. "I remember. I didn't want Julie to interrupt you."

"Well, what do you say I sing it for you tonight, start to finish." He touched Joelle softly on the arm, sighing as he did so. "As a gift to you, for doing so well."

Joelle nodded silently and stood up from the bench, giving him room to play. She closed her eyes as he began the intricate chords; first in Eb, then F. His voice filled the open-concept living room as he played the song through flawlessly. Joelle felt shivers run down her spine as the song continued to build effortlessly.

_He sings with such passion and intensity,_ thought Joelle to herself. _Wow..._

Too soon for Joelle's liking, the chords stopped, and Joelle felt a tear streak down her cheek as the song ended. Her eyes opened, as if she was waking from a dream. She noticed a tear running down his cheek as well, as he let his hands come to a rest in his lap. Joelle slid back down onto the bench and touched his arm lightly.

"That was... breathtaking," Joelle whispered. She turned to look at her instructor, who was still focusing on his hands. "You are amazing. Why don't you ever sing like that at school for us?"

Bill turned to look at her, not bothering to wipe the tears now streaming down both cheeks. He blinked twice before answering her, "because, at school, it's not my job. My job as a teacher is to teach, and to make you guys better. My is not to sing for you. Plus, look at me. Do you really want this mess singing in front of the choir?"

Joelle stared at him, making him feel ashamed. She reached up, gently catching the tears from her face with her index finger before placing her arms around his torso and squeezing gently. "I think you were right before," she said, avoiding his last question. "But, do you have time for a drink?"

"Yeah, a quick one… do you have any Pepsi?"

Joelle broke into a smile. "You know I keep a case in the fridge just for you. Come on, I'll grab you one."

Joelle grabbed Bill's hand as she stood from the bench, encouraging him to stand and follow her. He obliged, his frown turning into a smile as he followed her down the long hallway to the kitchen. Everything in the Borton kitchen was spotless, from the brand new stainless steel fridge to the crystal stemware Joelle pulled from the cabinet. As he sat at the solid oak kitchen table, Joelle set to work pouring a glass of Pepsi for her instructor, and an apple juice for herself.

Setting the two drinks down on the table in front of them, Joelle made eye contact with Bill as she slid into a chair of her own. After a few sips in silence, Bill stood and moved behind Joelle.

"You know, if you rolled your shoulders back like _this_…" he squeezed her shoulder blades together and made her sit up straight, "you would have an easier time getting a full breath of air each time you breathe." He flicked her ponytail playfully, smiling as he did so. Bill was amazed at how easy it was to flirt with Joelle; he had almost forgotten she was nearly 10 years younger than he was. He moved back to his chair, sitting across from her. She watched him carefully as he sat and drained his drink in a single gulp. "I'm sorry, Jo, but I have to get going home somewhat early tonight. Midterms to write, and all that jazz. You ok if we end it here?" Bill stood up and started out of the kitchen, and back down the hall to the front foyer.

Joelle quickly stood up and followed. "Jo, that's a new one…" Joelle mocked Bill's comment from earlier that night, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Usually I get Joelle or Miss Borton, just like the rest of the student body." Joelle brushed a stray piece of hair out of her eyes and smiled as they came to a halt beside the front door.

"You call me Bill, I call you Jo. That's my deal," he said as he smiled back. "But seriously, I need to get going."

Joelle couldn't hide the look of disappointment in her eyes, after she had spent all that time getting ready for her lesson tonight. She valued every minute they spent together and hoped that tonight he would stay and talk to her about his university lcareer; she loved hearing about life as a performing arts student. However, she understood that a performer needed his rest, and the only way he could rest was if his work was done. As she had gotten to know him, she began to realize just how similar they were.

"I'm sorry, Jo… I will make it up to you next week, ok?" He smiled gently, as she handed him her coat. Throwing it back down onto the floor, he pulled her into a big hug. "Come here, you know I think you're great. You have been improving so much! I was hoping I could convince you to audition for the solo in 'Lean on Me' for the winter concert. So keep rehearsing and I will see you in school tomorrow, ok?"

Again, Joelle nodded, for fear that if she spoke, her voice would crack. She felt close to tears again, despite his kind words.

"Jo, is everything ok? You're not yourself tonight. Look me in the eyes and tell me you're ok…"

Joelle looked up, tight within his embrace, and smiled the best smile she could muster. "I'm fine, Bill. Just exhausted. I think I have been overworking myself again."

"Jo?" He glanced down at the small figure resting in his arms.

"Yeah, Bill?"

Suddenly, his lips were approaching hers, and they met in a brief yet tender embrace that stunned Joelle into utter silence. Bill pulled away from her slightly, looking down. He found it slightly awkward kissing someone who was barely 5'4, as he was 6'3. A tear rolled down her cheek, and a smile burst across her face. She didn't need to say anything – he knew how she felt. But, he asked anyways, just to be sure.

"Are you ok, Jo?"

"Perfect."

Again, he pulled her close, and their lips met. His hands found her face and he began playing with her hair and stroking her cheek, catching the tears as they fell freely from her closed eyes. The embrace lasted only a few seconds longer than the first, but Bill could tell she wanted more. And, if he was being completely honest, he wanted more too. He moved back from her, surveying her expression. Her eyes were still closed; she hadn't moved from the spot where he had kissed her.

Bringing himself back to reality, he glanced at his watch. "You rest well, and I will see you in the morning, ok? Sleep tight!"

Jo bent down to retrieve his coat, and brushed it off slightly. Even though the cat rarely came out of hiding, Bill's jacket was covered in soft, white hair. As she handed him his coat, he leaned in for a light peck. Again, Joelle froze, waiting for him to come to her. His lips met with her silky cheek, and he lingered there momentarily as he thought about pulling her into another tight embrace. Instead, he backed, and quickly put on his jacket. Her eyes snapped open again, tears still streaming from both eyes, her mascara now beginning to run.

Without another word, he pulled open the front door to the Borton residence and let himself out. Once outside, he started tugging at his pocket to find his keys, as he began thinking about what had just happened. It felt wonderful to finally kiss her – he had been dreaming about it for months. But how would he face her at school tomorrow?

He pulled out his blue Blackberry and clicked on her cell phone number – as he walked towards his car he sent he a quick but very important message.

_Tell no one. It's our little secret. Not even Julie. See you at school tomorrow._


End file.
